A debate on the "closure of vital public services" was sought by campaigners.

But the House of Commons Petitions Committee wrote to Labour MP Stephen Pound on Tuesday (April 19) to dismiss the petition's plea.

The petitions committee, made up of government and opposition MPs, said: "The Committee, with regret, decided not to schedule this petition for a debate in Westminster Hall as it is on a local issue in respect of which constituency Members can pursue other options for debate.

"The Committee only has a limited number of debate slots available, and considered that these slots should be conserved for issues on which it might otherwise be difficult to secure a debate for the petitioners."

'We won't let this rest'

The refusal has sparked a backlash among campaigners and MP Pound, who have both accused central government of behaving undemocratically.

MP Pound said: "The Ealing MP's are not going to let this rest, we are going to keep raising this over and over again.

"The government can run but it can't hide.

"There is something rotten in the state with the NHS in Ealing and we are going to find out what it is, it's just too important to be covered up."

Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who with other CCG's in west London launched SaHF in 2012, said the changes to Ealing Hospital promised improvement.

But it did not respond to getwestlondon 's questions on whether the petition had prompted reconsideration or if they would listen to the concerns of those behind the petition.

A spokesperson said: "The changes are about improving children’s care across the whole of North West London, by providing better access to more specialist senior doctors’ throughout the day and night."

One of SEHCAG's founders Zahida Noori, who was a Labour councillor for the Southall Broadway ward from 2006 to 2014, branded the decision "unfair".

Mrs Noori said: "It is a democratic country. I think it is not right and I think this is really unfair, the government should listen to the concerns of the people.

"People have a right to be listened to."

MP Rupa Huq, who quizzed David Cameron on Ealing Hospital during Prime Ministers Questions earlier this month, said changes at Ealing Hospital had gone from being a "local issue to national scandal".